Musical
Fender Stratocaster
Welcome to the musical pages of this fantastic new site. Here I'll be
discussing music related topics ranging from bands, their music,
musical instruments, live gigging, live music, recorded music and a
whole host of other things.
Here at Musical I'll be talking about guitars, bass guitars and drums as the main three instruments (as well as the human voice) that are the essential three elements for a perfect mass live band specialising in either rock, blues, rhythm n blues or a mixture of these.
There are many three piece (as they're known) bands around and have been since the early days of bands. The major reasons for keeping it small are economy, tightness, cleanness of sound.
Economy
When a band is fairly new and has passed through the rehearsal stage and is ready to gig, the band will need to find venues that will take on an unknown, untested band. Often, bar or club owners are not willing to pay very much so the fewer members in a band, the more each member gets paid!
Tightness
When there only three members of a band, there is no room for error as each instrument covers different frequencies in the sound spectrum, so a mistake by the bass guitarist is easy to hear. Same for the guitarist and drummer. That places a little more pressure on each member, but the upside is that it pushes them to greater perfection in their playing, resulting in a much tighter and crisper sound to their music.
Cleanness of Sound
This follows on from tightness in that when there are only three discernible instruments and they are guitar, bass guitar and drums, there is a very clean sound produced with plenty of space. This type of sound was used very successfully by the Police in the 1970s and 80s. Without a keyboard or other mid-range frequency occupying instruments in the mix, the sound is un-muddied and pleasant on the ear. Vocals also ring out much clearer in a live band with only one other instrument occupying the mid-range (the guitar).
These are the main three reasons for keeping a live band small. While bands with more members and more and diverse instruments have the scope to play a greater range of musical styles, the trade-off is a muddier sound and less money in the pockets of the musicians, which when any band is starting out can be catastrophic when the members are relying on that income to live on.
Playing for Free
Remember, not all musicians have day jobs to fall back on so those musicians that think its ok to play live gigs for free are robbing their compatriots of a fair working wage. Think about this. You may think that it is "good experience" to play some gigs for nothing, or it'll "get your name known" or all the other lame excuses musicians think up to justify working for nothing. But when you add up all the hours you spent learning how to play your instrument, money you may have paid out for lessons, rehearsal rooms, instruments, amplification and other equipment etc, then do you still think it is fair to play for free?
While you're playing for free in a bar or club, the owner of that establishment is reaping the profits off your hard work from the sales they are making from people that have turned up to see you play. Do you think that's fair? And what about the fact that you are robbing another band from a night's paid work by undercutting them and stealing the gig? Is that fair? Of course, the club or bar owner doesn't mind. They are rubbing their hands together because you just put an extra wedge of money in their pocket, rather then your own, or that of another band who would have more sense than to give their hard work away for free, and would not stand for being ripped off like that.
Think about all these things should you be considering playing for free.
Here at Musical I'll be talking about guitars, bass guitars and drums as the main three instruments (as well as the human voice) that are the essential three elements for a perfect mass live band specialising in either rock, blues, rhythm n blues or a mixture of these.
There are many three piece (as they're known) bands around and have been since the early days of bands. The major reasons for keeping it small are economy, tightness, cleanness of sound.
Economy
When a band is fairly new and has passed through the rehearsal stage and is ready to gig, the band will need to find venues that will take on an unknown, untested band. Often, bar or club owners are not willing to pay very much so the fewer members in a band, the more each member gets paid!
Tightness
When there only three members of a band, there is no room for error as each instrument covers different frequencies in the sound spectrum, so a mistake by the bass guitarist is easy to hear. Same for the guitarist and drummer. That places a little more pressure on each member, but the upside is that it pushes them to greater perfection in their playing, resulting in a much tighter and crisper sound to their music.
Cleanness of Sound
This follows on from tightness in that when there are only three discernible instruments and they are guitar, bass guitar and drums, there is a very clean sound produced with plenty of space. This type of sound was used very successfully by the Police in the 1970s and 80s. Without a keyboard or other mid-range frequency occupying instruments in the mix, the sound is un-muddied and pleasant on the ear. Vocals also ring out much clearer in a live band with only one other instrument occupying the mid-range (the guitar).
These are the main three reasons for keeping a live band small. While bands with more members and more and diverse instruments have the scope to play a greater range of musical styles, the trade-off is a muddier sound and less money in the pockets of the musicians, which when any band is starting out can be catastrophic when the members are relying on that income to live on.
Playing for Free
Remember, not all musicians have day jobs to fall back on so those musicians that think its ok to play live gigs for free are robbing their compatriots of a fair working wage. Think about this. You may think that it is "good experience" to play some gigs for nothing, or it'll "get your name known" or all the other lame excuses musicians think up to justify working for nothing. But when you add up all the hours you spent learning how to play your instrument, money you may have paid out for lessons, rehearsal rooms, instruments, amplification and other equipment etc, then do you still think it is fair to play for free?
While you're playing for free in a bar or club, the owner of that establishment is reaping the profits off your hard work from the sales they are making from people that have turned up to see you play. Do you think that's fair? And what about the fact that you are robbing another band from a night's paid work by undercutting them and stealing the gig? Is that fair? Of course, the club or bar owner doesn't mind. They are rubbing their hands together because you just put an extra wedge of money in their pocket, rather then your own, or that of another band who would have more sense than to give their hard work away for free, and would not stand for being ripped off like that.
Think about all these things should you be considering playing for free.
Buying Musical Instruments
Where do you buy your musical instruments from? Most musicians buy their main instrument from a real world music shop or store. This gives them the ability to hold, touch, play and feel their instrument before parting with cash for it. This is very important as this is the instrument that will be with you possibly for a lifetime, so it is so important to get it right at the outset.
However, for a second instrument, it is usually a better bet to buy it online to save money. One of the best places to get hold of a second instrument is eBay for the sheer choice available and the value for money that you often get with buying from there. The only problem with eBay is the site is so large that searching for a particular musical instrument can take a lot of time and be frustrating.
To solve that problem, there is a very good website that has several live windows into eBay's database that allows you to go straight to the eBay page for a particular instrument in an easy-to-navigate way. Visit One Stop Music if you're interested in looking for a particular instrument on eBay and you'll save yourself a lot of time and effort!
Where do you buy your musical instruments from? Most musicians buy their main instrument from a real world music shop or store. This gives them the ability to hold, touch, play and feel their instrument before parting with cash for it. This is very important as this is the instrument that will be with you possibly for a lifetime, so it is so important to get it right at the outset.
However, for a second instrument, it is usually a better bet to buy it online to save money. One of the best places to get hold of a second instrument is eBay for the sheer choice available and the value for money that you often get with buying from there. The only problem with eBay is the site is so large that searching for a particular musical instrument can take a lot of time and be frustrating.
To solve that problem, there is a very good website that has several live windows into eBay's database that allows you to go straight to the eBay page for a particular instrument in an easy-to-navigate way. Visit One Stop Music if you're interested in looking for a particular instrument on eBay and you'll save yourself a lot of time and effort!
Tin Shack Blues Band with guest harmonica player
Tin Shack Blues Band
My own three piece blues band, Tine Shack Blues, plays in Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain and has its own website at Tin Shack Blues.
Check that website out for lots of info on the band itself, its members and what playing in a three piece blues band is all about!
If you're lucky enough to be visiting the area anytime soon, Tin Shack Blues can be seen every Sunday evening from 6pm at JC's Bar in MonteMar, Torremolinos. They have a guest spot when other good musicians are welcomed to join the lads onstage for a bit of a jam, but please, no amateurs or karaoke singers! This is a professional set up for good musicians to join in the fun.
There is a reason for this. We don't really want karaoke singers because there are plenty of karaoke bars for that in the area and only the one live music venue for musicians. Fairs fair!
My own three piece blues band, Tine Shack Blues, plays in Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain and has its own website at Tin Shack Blues.
Check that website out for lots of info on the band itself, its members and what playing in a three piece blues band is all about!
If you're lucky enough to be visiting the area anytime soon, Tin Shack Blues can be seen every Sunday evening from 6pm at JC's Bar in MonteMar, Torremolinos. They have a guest spot when other good musicians are welcomed to join the lads onstage for a bit of a jam, but please, no amateurs or karaoke singers! This is a professional set up for good musicians to join in the fun.
There is a reason for this. We don't really want karaoke singers because there are plenty of karaoke bars for that in the area and only the one live music venue for musicians. Fairs fair!